I. Introduction
The history of Spain and its political and social position depends heavily on the Spanish Civil War. There were several complexities and interventions in the war, by countries, leaders and organizations. One method of portraying these complexities is by the use of creative expressions of resistance, for instance through the use of film direction and animation. One remarkable example of a creative expression of resistance film is Pan’s Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro. This literature review will discuss the historical background of the Spanish Civil War, the outline of Pan’s Labyrinth and its correlation to the war, in addition to the comparison of the film to other similar films …show more content…
From del Toro’s series of movies over the years, it can be noted that he has the tendency to combine poetic elixir with an imaginative vision, with occasionally a twist of horror. The film’s main plot is about a little girl, Ofelia, moving in with her stepfather during the upsurge of Fascism. Pan’s Labyrinth is exceptional as the film’s storyline is based on a fairytale. It is parable: a simplified story of a greater spiritual or moral lesson. Whilst war is on, Ofelia discovers a world beyond the war, beyond her family and beyond realism. The film then takes its audience on a trip of intense fluctuations between realism and …show more content…
It is a Spanish-Mexican 1961 production. It is based on the novel of Halma. The main plot is based on a young lady that has only one living family member, her uncle, that later on has intentions of raping her, but doesn’t. The bitter brutality and complexity of the series of events depict the severity of war on Spain. The rape element represents something inhumane, savage and villainous; a mirror image of fascist General Franco at the time of war. In comparison with Pan’s Labyrinth, the representation of fascism is somewhat similar, although the raping is substituted with the death of the newborn boy: the symbol of innocence and purity.
Conclusively, a pattern of relevance between Spain and Mexico has been drawn when researching for film comparisons, as most directors and producers associated are Mexican or worked with the Spanish on the films. Thus, the history of the relation between Spain and Mexico should be drawn.
VI. Relationship between Spain and